Vehicle-tire.



P. B. DAWSON. VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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H1) TA ENT OFFICE.

PERCY B. DAWSON, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY B. DAWSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- Tires, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to vehicle tires and more particularly to tiresused upon automobile trucks, and the like.

Tires intended for service on merchandise trucks are usually made ofsolid rubber and are hence very expensive. The life of rubber tiressubjected to such heavy loads as are carried by these trucks, is short,and it is extremely desirable that some construction be provided whichshall possess the advantages residing in a solid rubber tire, i. 6.,easy riding qualities, smooth running, etc., and which shall in additionbe, if anything, even more highly resilient, and, what is of even moreimportance, of greater durability.

To form such a tire has been the principal object of the presentinvention; but certain other advantages, which will be hereinafternoted, are afforded by the novel construction herein set forth.

I am aware that many modifications of my device may be made within thepurview of my invention, and hence desire to be limited only by thescope of the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings which form a part hereof and in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, I haveillustrated certain preferred forms of my tire.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel with my novel tire thereon. Fig.2 is a de tail section of a portion of said tire, taken on line II-II ofFig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the wheel rim with tirethereon. Fig. 4 is a detail of construction showing the preferred formof rim. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the cushion casings. Fig.6 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 3, of a modified form of thedevice.

The wheel broadly designated 1, which may have the usual spokes 2 andfelly or wooden rim 3 is provided with a felly-loand l, preferably ofsteel, which forms a seat for the rubber cushions 5 and retaining rimbroadly designated 6, within which said cushions are disposed. The rim 6is prefer- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 22, 1911.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Serial No. 661,703.

ably formed of suitable metal, such as sheet steel, and in the form ofdevice exemplified 1n Figs. 1 and 3, consists of several arcuatesections or frames 7, which may be held in place in any suitable manner,as by means of bolts or screws 8. Each of these sections, in crosssection, has substantially the form of an inverted U, but the horizontalportion of the U is cut or slit as at 9 and the slitted metal or bridgebetween the slitting lines 9 which are parallel to the sides of the rim,is severed transversely at the center thereof and bent downwardly sothat the severed edges 10 are directed substantially toward the centerof the wheel. As viewed in Fig. 1 the cross-bars 11, so formed, havepractically the shape, in cross-section, of horseshoe magnets. Betweenthe edges 12 of these cross-bars and the respective inner walls 13 ofthe vertical sides 1 1- of the rim, are disposed rings 15; one of saidrings be ing adjacent either edge of the folly-band i. The format-ion ofthe cross-bars 11 is such as to effectively maintain these rings inposition and to render the structure as a whole extremely rigid.

By forming the rim in the manner de scribed a series of pockets areprovided therein which are preferably substantially square and areadapted for the reception of the cushion casings 16. Laterally, ofcourse, these casings bear against the in-turned edges of the rim,formed by the slits 9 previously referred to, and the inner and opposedsurfaces of the respective rings 15. Each casing 16 is preferablyframe-like in contour, being open both top and bot-tom, and the upperedge 17 thertiof is tapered inwardly, while the bottom edge 18preferably tapers or flares outwardly.

Since the opposed sides of a casing are in parallelism and neatly engagethe walls of the pocket within which it is disposed in the rim, it isessential that some means be provided for retaining said casing in placeis such pocket. for this purpose are simple pins 19, two of which may beprovided in connection with each casing, in opposite sides thereof;these pins being driven or otherwise secured firmly in the walls of thecasing and projecting outwardly therefrom a short distance. Theprojecting portions ride in slots 20 formed in the inner wall of each ofthe rings 15, said slots extending, in the exemplification shown, fromthe inner annular surface of The means which I prefer,

the rings radially outward toward, but not quite as far as, the outerannular surface of the same.

Vithin the casings are located the blocks or cushions 5, previouslyreferred to. I prefer to make these of some highly resilient material;preferably a good grade of rubber. These blocks maybe square incross-section, and are provided with a ridge 21 therearound adapted forengagement with the inner edge of the casing 16. In the form of deviceshown, this ridge has been formed bymerely extending the base of theblock or cushion slightly beyond the body thereof, all around. The uppersurface of the block may have its edges rounded as at 22, and it shouldbe noted that the casing 16 extends well up toward this upper surfaceaffording protection for the sides of the block or cushion andpreventing inadvertent laceration, or wear, of said sides.

If desired, the rim may be formed in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6,wherein a double row of pockets is provided; each pocket, of course,being adapted for the reception of its resilient cushion and theprotective supporting casing therearound, in substantially the samefashion as in the case just described.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that a truck hasbeen provided with tires constructed in accordance with the principlesof my invention, and that the said truck has been heavily laden. Thosecushions 5 which are not in contact with the ground will protrude outthrough the rim to substantially the full extent to which they mayextend. In so doing, casings 16 therearound will correspondingly havebeen driven to their outermost positions, since the pins 19 are sodisposed with respect to the surfaces 18 of these casings and to theridges 21 of the blocks, that the said pins will have been forcedoutwardly to the outer ends of the slots 20 when the rubber blocks havebeen allowed to,expand fully. Then, however, the truck advances and bythe rotation of the wheels successive cushions are caused to engage theground, the outer surfaces of said cushions will be driven inwardlytoward the center of the wheel. In so doing the material throughout theblock will be compressed to a greater or less extent, and the innerportion of a block under compression will have the sides thereofadjacent its inner edges outwardly or laterally bulged into the spaceadjacent the edge 18 of the casing of said block. It is on account ofthis action that the lower edge 18 of the easing is preferably flared inthe manner described, since this formation tends to conserve the life ofthe block. As the block is in close frictional engagement with thecasing 16, and as by reason of the compression to which it is thussubjected, it is driven still more closely into engagement with itscasing, it tends to carry the casing inwardly toward the center of thewheel along with it when said block is compressed in the man nerdescribed. The casing 16 moves guidedly therefore down into its pocket,and since it is guided by the walls of the pocket, and since it isfirmly in engagement with the lateral walls of the rubber block, thesaid block is free to move only along the radial line in the mannerdescribed, and cannot be come distorted laterally, nor bent over.Immediately after pressure is relieved upon the outer surface of thecushion, the inherent resiliency of the latter forces said surfaceoutwardly to the extent of its travel; casing 16 moving along with ittoward and into its outermost position.

On account of this construction practically the only wear to which theblock is subjected is upon its exposed outer surface, and since thiswear is not of such a nature, under the conditions imposed, as will tendto tear the elastic material, and is only such as will occur from themere rolling contact of the surface with the ground, it is obvious thatthe life of a resilient block, such as I have shown, is materiallyprolonged by providing such a protecting casing or frame therearound.Furthermore, by reason of the fact that the bottoms of the blocks arefree to expand laterally upon all sides, the said blocks form cushionswhich are even preferable to solid rubber tires, which can only expandlaterally on the respective opposed arc-uate sides.

By making the casing in one piece the likelihood of fracture thereof ispractically obviated. There are, too, it will be observed, no smallparts to become loose since the pins 19 which are preferably welded intothe casing, cannot under any circumstances slip outwardly therefromowing to the fact that they ride in the threewalled slots 20; while therubber cushions themselves cannot inadvertently become displaced, eventhough no bolts or wires have been passed therethrough, owing to theridging of the walls thereof. The rings 15 perform the dual function ofproviding lateral guides for the casings, and of stiffening the rim as awhole.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a vehicle tire, the combination of a rim frame comprising twoopposed rings connected together by cross bars thereby forming a seriesof pockets, stiffening rings secured to each of said opposed rings andforming part of the walls of said pockets, said stiffening rings havingradial grooves therein and cushion carrying frames located in saidpockets and provided with pins projecting into said grooves whereby themovements of the cushion carrying frames are guided and limited.

2. In a vehicle tire a sheet metal rim tegral therewith, stiffeningrings fastened between said rings and the ends of the crossbars, theinner walls of said stilfening rings and the walls of said cross-barsforming pockets in combination with a series of cushions located in therespective pockets.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of twoWitnesses.

PERCY B. DAWSON. Witnesses:

FRED A. NASSIE, FRED C. GLEED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patentl,

Washington, D. G.

